Is Alaska mostly the only place where you can experience what would happen if there was no more like daylight for an extended period?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Alaska
- Thread starter max2
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My brother lives in Kenai, and although his days are very short for several months, it’s much worse, the perpetual twilight in Northern Alaska (as relayed to me). Remember Alaska is huge, like Texas+California.
Last edited:
Of course not. Anywhere that is as far North as Alaska will experience the same. Take a look at a globe. The points furthest from the equator will receive less light.
Parts of Russia and some of the Scandinavian countries will be the same.
Yep
Any place above the arctic, or below the antartic circle.
Here's what google stated when ask for notable cities above the artic
Notable cities above the Arctic Circle include Murmansk, Russia (the largest city in the world above the circle), Tromsø, Norway (a major Arctic hub known for the Northern Lights), Rovaniemi, Finland (famous as the "home" of Santa Claus), and Kiruna, Sweden (a significant mining town). Other prominent cities include Iqaluit, Canada, and Longyearbyen, Norway
This is common in both polar regions, North and South. For example Alaska and Siberia are close to the earth's North Pole. Search about daylight hours in the in the poler regions when the earth tilts.
Polar Guidebook
In the Northern regions of Alaska we experience nearly 24 hours of daylight during the summer solstice, and about the same hours of darkness during the winter solstice. Summer solstice near the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks, for example, people congregate to run marathons and to celebrate what is called "The Midnight Sun." Further North in Alaska, we have some small towns and villages that receive just a few minutes of daylight during the longest night of the winter (Winter solstice).
Last edited:
You and other posters are correct. I should have read your answers before posting mine
On a side note, I think it would be really neat to experience an almost perpetual day light or night 24hr cycle. I’d not want to live there but I think it would be interesting to experience.
Yes it is quite nice to experience all of that daylight, although summers in the interior of Alaska are very short. The daylight hours happen gradually, and peak in June. These periods of daylight, start as soon as the winter solstice (darkness) ends in December-just a few seconds at a time, then minutes, hours per day, until the daylight peaks in June. From that moment on darkness starts creeping in gradually, all over again.
It all means that there there are periods of time one may drive to work in the morning before summer... perhaps between 5:00 and 8:00 AM and be in total darkness. Then leaving work around 5:00 in the darkness of night. Later one may go to work in the morning sunshine reflecting on the snow (sunglasses are quite popular over here), and then go to bed while the sun's still shining
Last edited:
An update about the remaining daylight hours in December 21, 2025 in Fairbanks, Alaska (*keep in mind that Fairbanks is close to or South of the the Arctic Circle: during the solstice happening on the 21st day of December, Fairbanks receives approximately 3 hours and 42 minutes of daylight.
* In some of the Northernmost regions of Alaska there isn't any daylight for several weeks.
Shortest Day In Alaska
* In some of the Northernmost regions of Alaska there isn't any daylight for several weeks.
Shortest Day In Alaska
Last edited: